Practical advice & moral support for the small-scale gardener
I’m not in the best place emotionally when I get back from Italy. It’s like being spiritually plucked out of the warm, cuddly waters of the Adriatic and plunged into the icy waves of the Pacific Ocean. I go from hot to cold in every metaphorical and literal way. Back in the Bay, besides being overjoyed to…
Summertime vacations are the best, but they have a downside for avid container gardeners like myself. How do I keep my potted plants happy and hydrated under the summer sun in my absence? I’m about to depart for my annual sojourn in Italy with my husband and his family. While I’m deeply grateful to be…
It’s June Gloom in California, right on the heels of May Gray. These distinctly un-summery weather patterns are caused by cool air getting trapped under warm air between the ocean and the mountains, creating weeks of overcast skies while the rest of the northern hemisphere enjoys the arrival of summer. While some of my plants have…
I regularly pass by a house in my neighborhood with the perfect salvia growing in the front yard. Likely a cultivar of salvia greggii, its blossoms are the creamy apricot hue I’m forever pining after. I’ve scoured nurseries and the internet for an identification, to no avail. I know it’s bad to covet thy neighbor. But…
If you have a south, west, or southwest-facing balcony, you know the afternoon sun struggle. While sun is generally a good thing, not all plants happily withstand the hot rays of the afternoon, especially in pots. But that doesn’t mean your balcony has to be desolate. There are plenty of plants that can take the…